BULGARIA: FLOODS 25 July 2005

Size: px
Start display at page:

Download "BULGARIA: FLOODS 25 July 2005"

Transcription

1 BULGARIA: FLOODS 25 July 2005 The Federation s mission is to improve the lives of vulnerable people by mobilizing the power of humanity. It is the world s largest humanitarian organization and its millions of volunteers are active in over 181 countries. In Brief This Bulletin (no. 2 /July 2005) reflects the status of the situation and information available at this time. The Federation may communicate further on additional cooperation with Bulgarian Red Cross (BRC) in respect to this ongoing disaster. Partners interesting in supporting the BRC are urged to contact the Geneva regional officer (see below). For the previous information bulletin <click here> For other operational reports related to floods throughout Central Europe <click here> Please contact: In Bulgaria: Bulgarian Red Cross, Jassen Slivensky, Disaster Management Coordinator, j.slivensky@redcross.bg, phone: In Regional Delegation: Slobodanka Curic, Regional Disaster Management Coordinator, ifrchu41@ifrc.org, phone: , In Geneva: Erja Reinikainen, Regional Officer, Europe Department, Phone: , Fax: , ,Erja.Reinikainen@ifrc.org All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non -Governmental Organisations (NGO's) in Disaster Relief and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response (Sphere) in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. For longer -term programmes in this or other countries or regions, please refer to the Federation s Annual Appeal. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for national society prof iles, please also access the Federation s website at The situation As a result of heavy rains and storms, which have hit Bulgaria since the end of May 2005 and are continuing to wreak havoc throughout the country, 27 municipalities in Bulgaria have been affected to date. The flooding has: caused severe damage to public and private buildings (over 48,425 in total), destroyed and damaged bridges (over 70 affected), disrupted water supply systems (36), activated landslides, and damaged 28 dikes and dams. The public infrastructure in a number of places has been destroyed or seriously damaged. Several people have been reported dead, arable land has been flooded and crops destroyed, basements and gardens ar e under water and cattle have drowned. The situation has been the most serious in the regions of Targovishte, Veliko Tirnovo, Shoumen, Stara Zagora and Rousse and several municipalities in the regions of Haskovo, Bourgas, Vratza and Lovetch, Sofia region. A state of emergency was declared in five municipalities in Shumen region, three in the region of Targovishte, Stara Zagora.

2 The disaster assessment is ongoing as the situation develops and the heavy rains continue. While state institutions and local authorities mounted relief efforts, the situation worsened once again from the 1 July as heavy rains continued, affecting the same areas as well as new ones, this time including southern Bulgaria. Among the latest regions to be affected are: Targovishte, Veliko Tarnovo, Rousse, Shoumen, Silistra in northern Bulgaria and Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Plovdiv, Pazardjik Plovdiv and Burgas in southern Bulgaria. A state of emergency has been declared in the municipalities of Rousse, Dve Mogili, Targovishte, Popovo and Shoumen regions. The water level of the Vit, Osam, Baniska and Jantra rivers has rapidly increased to 3 to 5 meters above normal, which has damaged roads, railways, electro and water supply systems, telecommunications, as well as individual property (flooded basements, houses and farms). The railway lines connecting Sofia with the northern part of the country Targovishte, Shoumen and Varna are flooded and trains are not functioning at several locations. During the night of 3 July 2005, passengers were evacuated by bus. By 12 July, 161 houses had collapsed and 110 were uninhabitable, according to the State Agency for Civil Protection. Red Cross and Red Crescent action taken so far Emergency relief (food and basic non-food items) Goal: Distribution of relief items - food and non-food items to those most affected by the floods Objective 1: Basic food items distributed to 2,400 families (10,000 persons) Food items will be purchased at Bulgarian RC central level (NHQ) and distributed locally by regional branches. Objective 2: Basic non-food items distributed to 2,400 families (10,000 persons) This involves the distribution of standard family hygiene parcels The following activities will be undertaken to fulfill this objective: - prepare guidelines for relief operation in Bulgarian Red Cross branches - prepare list of beneficiaries - procure relief items in Bulgaria - deliver non-food relief items through NHQ to the Bulgarian Red Cross local branches - organize distribution to the beneficiaries locally - prepare system of data reporting, according to the BRC system and IFRC requirements and monitoring of distribution Progress/Achievements Since the beginning of the floods alert on 2 July 2005 at 03.50am, the Bulgarian Red Cross has been involved in the operation. The BRC has deployed relief distribution from its logistics centres Lozen Central Warehouse and Pirgovo (Russe) and Dobrich inter-regional disaster warehouses. Rousse branch (BRC) Bed linen, mattresses, shoes, clothes and blankets to the most affected villages in Rousse region: Baniska (which was hit by floods for the second time in 20 days), Koprivec, Drjanovec and others. Seventy of the most affected people also received food assistance. The Youth Emergency team of BRC Rousse has also been involved in the relief operation, providing assistance to the most affected population. By 20 July, BRC Rousse had provid ed 470 blankets, 306 bed linen set, 38 bales clothes, and 20 beds/ camping type. Targovishte branch (BRC) The whole region was hit by severe flooding on 3 July. During the night, the city of Targovishte and other municipalities in the region were flooded and blocked (Popovo municipality). The Targovishte branch of the Bulgarian Red Cross distributed clothes, rubber boots, raincoats and blankets. By the morning of 4 July almost the

3 entire local Red Cross stock was depleted. A request for delivery of additional relief items was sent to the Bulgarian Red Cross National Headquarters. On 5 July 2005, a BRC truck with 700 blankets, 20 bales of clothes, 700 pieces of canned soup, pasta and 20 humidity dryers reached the affected municipalities in Targovishte region. Shoumen branch (BRC) A state of emergency was declared covering the whole region on 3 July. There are 23 houses reported collapsed, people have been evacuated from their homes and accommodated in collective centres. The BRC Shoumen branch worked throughout the night to distribute relief items. On 5 July, additional support from inter-regional warehouse Dobrich was delivered - mattresses, blankets, bed linen, and bales of clothes. Using its own financial resources, the RC purchased food items for the most affected people. Other BRC branches The National Society headquarters has received requests for assistance from Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Veliko Tarnovo, Pazarjik, Burgas, Silistra regions,etc. By 20 July the BRC had distributed from its reserves the following items: 2,000 blankets 140 bales of clothes x 50 persons each 650 bed linen sets 155 pillows 55 camping beds 100 mattresses 420 food items/food parcels/ 30 dehumidifiers Outstanding Needs Following the initial relief distributions, the following outstanding needs remain: Food parcels 2,400 Hygiene parcels 2,400 Rubber boots 1,500 Rubber boots 200 /fisherman type Blankets 5,000 Bed linen 2,000 Pillows 1,000 Mattresses 1,000 / 75/190 cm/ Torches 1,000 Sleeping bags 500 In response to the disaster the Bulgarian Red Cross has been working with its local branches to identify the most vulnerable among the affected population. The relief operation should cover the basic needs of those affected by the disasters, based on the following criteria: - elderly people over 60 years, living alone; - single women with children; - disabled; - low-income families living under the social minimum The objective is to distribute the relief items to the above mentioned beneficiaries over one month, depending on funding.

4 Impact Through the RC response to date, some 5,000 people have received support (food and non food items) during the first hours and days of the floods. The most affected people received clothes, blankets, bed linen and food items immediately from the RC branches in the affected regions. Additional support was provided from the Central warehouse of BRC Lozen: canned food, pasta, and disinfectants. This response has assisted the most vulnerable in coping with the immediate situation. BRC regional teams have assessed their own regions and collected data on needs and scale of the floods. BRC NHQ has summarized the data and has coordinated the operation throughout the country. Assessment team members from NHQ have visited Targovishte, Bourgas, Pazardjik and Plovdiv regions and have provided support to BRC staff there. Constraints The major constraint has been the large number of people in need, and insufficient support available to respond to the needs of the affected population within the immediate post-disaster period. The scope of the disaster affecting a large number of regions and municipalities at the same time has also been a constraining factor. Federation Coordination The whole BRC operation is in coordination with the Federation through contacts with the regional disaster management coordinator of the Federation s regional delegation in Budapest. The Bulgarian RC is considering making a request to the International Federation for EUR 55,000 from its Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) for basic relief items that would be used to assist 5,000 people; 1,250 families for one month. The relief would involve kitchen sets, hygiene parcels, disinfectants, blankets (700 pc), and bed linen (700 pc) in nine regions. The goods would be procured locally. Partner NS support to BRC operation: The Spanish Red Cross has donated EUR 18,000 for water pumps and generators. The US Government - through USAID and the American RC office in Sofia - has provided financial support (USD 50,000) to implement a project to assist 3,000 beneficiaries from seven regions in Bulgaria: Rousse, Targovishte, Veliko Tarnovo, Shumen Stara Zagora, Pazardjik and Haskovo (those most affected by the floods). The Turkish Red Crescent has announced USD 5,000 to support the BRC operation. The Austrian Red Cross has announced a possible donation of EUR 2,500 for rubber boots and the Luxembourg RC has also expressed an interest to support the BRC operation. National Society Capacity The BRC s capacity to respond to the situation is limited in view of the scope of the disaster. In order to organize the emergency response through its local branches, the Bulgarian Red Cross has identified the most vulnerable of the affected population. The BRC s branch assessment teams are providing detailed information coordinated with other partners. The situation is serious, demands are increasing and the number of affected is high. The relief items distributed from BRC stocks, together with those purchased and distributed via DREF funding are insufficient to cover the basic needs of the most vulnerable in all affected regions. For this reas on the Bulgarian Red Cross is seeking assistance to cover the needs of the most vulnerable with basic relief items Communications Advocacy and Public Information The BRC appealed to the population for cash contributions for the flood victims in Bulgaria on 5 July 2005, through the National TV, btv, and national radio and at its regional offices. By 20 July BGN 53,000 (EUR 26,500) had been collected. An amount of BGN 39,000 (EUR 19,500) was transferred on 18 July to the most affected regions. A daily update of the BRC operation is publicized on the BRC web page:

5 Budget Outline BRC Floods relief operation Budget Budget line Qty Unit price (BGN, VAT included) Total BGN Total EUR Total CHF Relief item Blankets , , ,00 CHF ,00 Bedding sets , , ,00 CHF ,00 Pillows , , ,00 CHF 3 600,00 Mattresses (75x190 cm) , , ,00 CHF ,00 Rubber boots Fisherman type , , ,00 CHF ,00 Rubber boots , , ,00 CHF ,00 Food parcels , , ,00 CHF ,00 Torchs , , ,00 CHF 4 000,00 Hygiene parcel (family 1 month) , , ,00 CHF ,00 Sleeping bags , , ,00 CHF ,00 BGN , ,00 CHF ,00 Operational costs Transport and warehousing 5 772,00?? 2 886,00 CHF 4 617,60 Local distribution 3 635,00?? 1 817,50 CHF 2 908,00 Monitoring, staff, communication and coordination ,50?? 7 263,75 CHF , ,50?? ,25 CHF ,60 Administrative costs ,24?? 8 041,62 CHF ,59 Total budget ,74?? ,87 CHF ,19 Note: As BRC has reached a critical level of disaster stocks following distributions in response to this flood disaster; there is a need for replenishment of some of the relief supplies.